The Attorney (Charnwood Library) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Steve Martini (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2001 | Series: Charnwood Library

Lawyer Paul has plans - a new practice in San Diego, and if things work out, a future with Susan. But when Paul meets an old client, whose granddaughter has been abducted, he is drawn into a case which destroys everything he believes in.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Sleuthing California defense counsel Paul Madriani lands one of his twistiest cases to date. His client, sport fisherman Jonah Hale, won $87 million in a lottery but lost his heart. Jonah's got custody of his eight-year-old grandkid Mandy, because his daughter Jessica is a cokehead party animal. Sprung from jail, Jessica demands cash. Jonah says no. So Jessica and Mandy disappear, with help from marital-rape-victim-turned-fanatical-activist Zolanda Suade. Suade's group, Vanishing Victims, specializes in thwarting courts and bashing rich males.

Madriani tries to reason with Suade, who almost pulls a gun on him, then taunts him with a press release: Suade's going public with Jessica's charge that Jonah molested Mandy. Madriani's girlfriend works in Child Protective Services, so he gets a tidbit or two of inside info--the charge is phony, but because CPS can't comment on cases, the smear will suffice to ignite a media firestorm. When Suade turns up dead, media interest does not subside. In court, circumstantial evidence forms a tightening noose around Jonah's neck, and Madriani starts wondering whether Jonah did kill Suade. Also, underworld types who may know Jessica and/or a Mexican drug lord start stalking Madriani, and more corpses pop up.

Martini, who covered the Manson trial, then became a lawyer and a bestselling novelist, is great at realistic, ingenious courtroom suspense, media-circus scenes, and dramatizing the impact of office politics on legal proceedings. His characters and prose are workmanlike but sturdy. Always grouped with lawyers-turned-writers Scott Turow and John Grisham, Martini thinks Turow's a better writer (in terms of character and dialogue), and Grisham's a natural-born storyteller who towers over all, but that he, Martini, is a better storyteller than Turow and a better writer than Grisham. The Attorney is evidence that he may be right. --Tim Appelo --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The tireless Paul Madriani, Martini's popular lawyer/sleuth (The Judge; Compelling Evidence), barely has a chance to hang a shingle in San Diego--where he has moved to be closer to his lover, child advocate Susan McKay--before he is sucked into another engrossing court battle. When Madriani takes on elderly Jonah Hale's case, it seems at first he is dealing with a simple kidnapping. Hale's granddaughter, eight-year-old Amanda, under Hale's custody, has been whisked away by Zolanda Suade, who runs Vanishing Victims, an organization that purports to rescue kids from abusive situations. Now Suade is falsely accusing Hale of molestation to justify returning the girl to her mother--Hale's drug-addled, ex-con daughter, Jessica, who's never shown any interest in raising her child. Suade apparently has an ulterior motive: keeping Amanda in hiding until she can extort a hefty ransom from Hale, who recently won $87 million in the state lottery. Before Madriani, with Susan's expert assistance, can get far in his investigations, Suade is found shot to death, and Hale, who had plenty of motive to kill him, is arrested. Madriani is increasingly overmatched by a dogged prosecutor. Worse, those assisting Madriani in Hale's defense keep getting murdered, and Madriani may be next in line. Except for the occasional cliche (bodies lined up "like cordwood," minds "like steel traps"), Martini's prose shows marked improvement. Crisp dialogue and tart observations about legal maneuvering distinguish his courtroom scenes, and the new setting, San Diego, is colorfully rendered. It's a shame that the otherwise cleverly conceived plot falters in the homestretch with a poorly concealed twist that most readers will see coming well ahead of time. Mystery Guild main selection, Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club selections. (Jan.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print Books Ltd; Large Print edition edition (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0708992455
• ISBN-13: 978-0708992456
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,971,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steve Martini was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area. An honors graduate of the University of California at Santa Cruz, he holds a law degree from the University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law.

Martini's first career was in journalism. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Los Angeles and as a correspondent at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, specializing in legal issues. In 1974 he entered private law practice in California, where he appeared in both state and federal courts. During his legal career, he worked as a legislative representative for the State Bar of California, served as special counsel to the California Victims of Violent Crimes Program, and was an administrative law judge and supervising hearing officer.

In 1984 Martini turned his talents to fiction, quickly earning positions on bestseller lists. All but his first book spent time on the New York Times Bestsellers list. To date, he has authored twelve novels, including eight featuring his popular lawyer alter ego, Paul Madriani.
In 1996 Undue Influence aired as a four-hour miniseries on CBS, followed by The Judge on NBC in 2001.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous story and characterization, December 30, 1999

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Attorney (Hardcover)

Power house attorney Paul Madriani and his daughter Sarah have moved to San Diego so that they can live closer to his beloved Susan McKay and her two daughters. Susan is the director of Children's Protective Service, a fierce advocate of children's rights. Her archenemy is Zolanda Suade, a fanatical self-appointed child advocate.

Jonah Hale retains Paul to find his beloved granddaughter Amanda, who has been abducted by her own mother Jessica with the help of Zolanda. When Jonah realizes that the law cannot help him or protect Amanda from her uncaring abusive mother, he vanishes. During his disappearance, someone kills Zolanda. The police arrest Jonah who has no alibi. Paul tries to help his client, but it is Susan who constantly crosses the legal line that leads everyone into danger.

Steve Martini has written a legal thriller that will stun everyone with its sucker punch ending. THE ATTORNEY returns Paul Madriani to his fans in a story line that is his most suspenseful and tragic to date. Steve and Susan act believable even when she propels them to choose justice over the law. Mr. Martini needs to bring back this delightful cast in future novels that are sure to be thought provoking and exciting.

Harriet Klausner

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A little too long, with big plot holes at the end., March 5, 2000

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Attorney (Hardcover)

Martini was wise to go back to his "bread and butter" protagonist, Paul Madriani. I always enjoyed this character and I was dismayed at such books as Martini's "Critical Mass," in which Martini discarded both Madriani and the legal thriller genre. Much of "The Attorney" is exciting and compelling. Paul Madriani, the hero of the title, tries to help Jonah Hale, an older man who has made a great deal of money in a lottery. Hale's granddaughter is missing, along with her drug-addicted mother. Along the way, Madriani encounters complications relating to his lover, Susan, who works with abused children, and Paul is nearly killed by a Mexican drug lord. Eventually, a key characters is murdered and Paul is the defendant's attorney at trial. As always, Martini is very good at writing courtroom sequences. As compelling as some of these courtroom scenes are, the book drags on for over 400 pages. The most problematic element of the book, however, is the tacked-on ending. Martini loves surprise endings. He delivers the surprise at the very end of the book and it simply does not hold water. There are plot holes at the end that are enormous and the author never plugs up the holes. I still enjoyed much of the book, but Martini should be more careful in making the plot more coherent. Surprise endings work only when they make sense.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He's back and he's better, January 18, 2000

By 

"boggs7" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Attorney (Hardcover)

Martini has brought Paul Madriani, one of his best characters, back. Though it starts slow, if you stay with it you won't be disappointed. No one dies for the first 100 pages, and that is what makes this mystery so engrossing, one twist after another until a most unexpected conclusion. Even the characters and the sub-plots don't slow it down. The romance with long time love, Susan, and their three girls rings true, and Paul's law partner, Harry give this plot enough juice to be worth the effort. I always expect a lot from a Steve Martini book, and he seldom falters. Just keep bringing Paul back, he's real.